Probably

How to spell probably

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce probably

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does probably mean?

1. adverbIn all likelihood; almost certainly but not with full certainty.

Probably in a sentence

• The train will probably be late again this morning.

• She is probably the best candidate we interviewed all week.

Where does probably come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb probare, which meant 'to test, to try, or to prove', itself rooted in probus, meaning 'good, upright, or honest'. From probare came probabilis, describing something that could be proved or that was likely to be true, and English borrowed the adjective 'probable' through Old French in the late 1300s. The adverb 'probably' was then formed inside English by adding the familiar -ly ending. The same probare root gives us 'prove', 'proof', and 'probation', all carrying that core idea of putting something to the test. The spelling trap comes from speech: most people say it as 'prob-ly' or 'prob-ly', swallowing the middle syllable, so writers must remember the full sequence prob-ab-ly with both b's and the buried 'a'.

How the word is built

• prob- (from Latin probare: to test, prove)
• -able (capable of)
• -ly (adverb suffix)